It's big business. Although pagan in origin, millions of Christians will celebrate it. More than $600 million will change hands on the internet because of it. It will sell more than 100 million roses this year. More than 35 million boxes of candy will be sold for it. They call it Valentine's Day.

Many believers believe in their willful nescience, that it began in an effort to honor some Christian martyr named Valintinius. Far from being associated with any Godly practice, it was a sensuous, idolatrous festival. The Romans called it Lupercalia and celebrated it by exchanging “valentines” in honor of the mighty hunter become god Lupercus . These were placed into a box having the names of young women and were drawn out randomly by men who would then pair off with them.

As with other pagan celebrations, it was celebrated by a number of cultures. In Norse mythology, Váli is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Rindr. Vali was portrayed as being an archer with illuminated arrows bearing love. In Greek mythology, his name was Eros, the son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The Romans called him Cupid, from the Latin cupido, meaning "desire". He was also known by the Latins as Amor. Many contemporary pagans make blessings to this god on February 14th.

As with many other pagan-occult religions, the representation of this heathen god ties back to the veneration of Nimrod, "the mighty hunter" (Genesis 10:9). Quoting Bishop John Bell, Alexander Hyslop made the following observation:

Speaking of a statue of Cupid, he says it is "a fair, full, fleshy, round boy, in fine and sportive action, tossing back a heart." Thus the boy-god came to be regarded as the "god of the heart," in other words, as Cupid, or the god of love. To identify this infant divinity, with his father "the mighty hunter" he was equipped with "bow and arrows;" and in the hands of the poets, for the amusement of the profane vulgar, this sportive boy-god was celebrated as taking aim with his gold-tipped shafts at the hearts of mankind.

So how did this pagan holy day slip into acceptance by Christians? It happened in the same way other pagan holy days found their way into the hearts of believers; it was by Papal edict.

In the year 496 AD, Pope Gelasius “Christianized” Lupercalia, incorporating many of the Lupercalian practices into the new holiday, naming it after an alleged Saint. That it remains unclear just exactly which of three Saint Valentines the celebration is supposed to honor, does not dampen the practice. Thus, the pagans could continue to celebrate Lupercalia without offending the sensibilities of the growing Christian faith.

The Roman month February, takes its name from Februa, a Roman purification festival held on February 15th. Pope Gelasius moved the observation ahead by one day, holding the commemoration on the evening of February 14th.

This leads to the question: Should Christians celebrate this day? The answer is found in God's Word. Jeremiah 10:1-2:

Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.